Book Review of Maximum Ride- The Angel Experiment

by Holly Yakimow

Summary of Book: “Six unforgettable kids — with no families, no homes — are running for their lives. Max Ride and her best friends have the ability to fly. And that's just the beginning of their amazing powers. But they don't know where they come from, who's hunting them, why they are different from all other humans... and if they're meant to save mankind — or destroy it” (Goodreads.com 1).

Review: I give this book an 8/10. Here’s why:

First of all, there are three categories that must be considered here; the first being accuracy to setting. In this category, The Angel Experiment fits perfectly into its setting of modern day America with the detailed descriptions of cities such as New York, and earns all points. Next category is the accuracy to genre. The  Maximum Ride series is a sci-fi/young adult/fantasy novel, and while it fits into the young adult section with it’s teenage perspective and language; and it does meet some expectations of a sci-fi novel, the fantasy element is not truly there as there is not magical entities or anything pertaining to a fairytale setting, and causes this novel to lose points. Finally, the last category to be examined is the action. While The Angel Experiment is not in the Action genre of literature, it is still full of tons of plot twists and excitement in every chapter. Therefore, Maximum Ride- The Angel Experiment is a must-read with it’s high rating of an eight out of ten.

Recommendation: I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves plot twists, thrills, and excitement around every corner. I’d also recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading action novels, adventure novels, or sci-fi novels, as  The Angel Experiment does indeed live up to its expectations of a good read.

Race for the Finish

By-Haley Rodeffer

Three, two, one, GO! Cross country is up and running again as this season has showed to be a great one. Coach Fox and Coach Beck have been training the girls extra hard this season by practicing everyday except for Wednesdays. At the start of each practice the girls stretch as a team, then depending on the day they will do intervals or maybe run to the Lemming house. Lots of girls joined cross country to hang with friends, and to be able to run faster and longer. So far, the girls are killing it at their meets; they cheer each other on as they await their turn to run. Hailey Steiner, 8th grade runner, says, “My favorite part is the entire thing, knowing you are going with other girls to perform, and get rewarded for your hard work.” Cross country is the only sport of it’s kind, relying on hard work and teamwork.

His-Story in the Making

by Elijah Cliffe

Everyone has seen 7th grade teacher, Mr. Ruck, emerging from the wing of the Flyer hallway.

However, there is much more to him than his knowledge of Social Studies and technology!

Mr. Ruck went to college at the University of Cincinnati.  He originally did not want to become a

teacher but changed his mind once he started college. In his spare time, he loves to be with his wife and his two children, Collin and Adam (a newborn!). He also likes to read and tries to do something different each week.

His favorite football team is the Bengals and is excited to watch them make it past the first round in the playoffs this year. His favorite television show is Person of Interest. He likes to eat anything Italian.  His favorite color is aqua green. Thursday is his favorite day of the week and he is 31 years old. The Indiana Jones saga is his favorite movie series. When asked why he likes his job, Mr. Ruck said, “I enjoy teaching because everyday is different because some people teach the same thing every year, but I like to do it differently every year.”

Now that you know a little more about Mr. Ruck, make sure to say “hi” to him in the halls. Maybe he’d like to know something new about you?

Get your Wacky on!!!!

Wacky Day, Sports Day, Red and White Spirit Day! For all three themes, students were to dress up, spreading spirit throughout the halls of MJHS. The spirit days were planned by the co-Advisors for Student Council: Mrs.Carey and Mr. Ferguson. Mrs. Carey, the language arts teacher for team Redhawks, explains the purpose behind spirit days. Mrs. Carey says, “Spirit day is all about uniting the students and having a day to celebrate Milford homecoming.” Mrs.Carey told me which one of the three spirit days was her favorite: “I love Wacky Day. I love the creativity behind some of the students’ outfits, and any chance I get to wear roller-skates and a tutu, I am going to take it!”  

Some of the notable outfits included Mr. Wells, 7th grade Assistant Principal. He walked around wearing large clown shoes, a red wig, and suspenders. Another 7th grader was seen with a gelled hair, mismatched shoes, and two different ties.

Although the halls were flooded with red and white spirit, the Milford Varsity football team was defeated by Anderson High School. That didn’t put a damper on Milford’s spirit, however, and the students kept their spirit soaring throughout the game and beyond. 7th grade student, Eli Pavlyuk, also had an opinion on what spirit day is all about:“I love when the entire school has a chance to just be weird and wacky. Everyone loves it!” As a school, we have to look forward to for next spirit week! Keep your eyes and ears open for the next announcement from Student Council regarding upcoming events, fundraisers, and spirit weeks.

Zombie Dance!

by Attica Couch

Spooky, scary and fun! The first dance of the year was a Halloween-themed dance. At the first dance of the 2013-2014 academic year, there was a first, second and third place prize for the best and most elaborate Halloween costumes. The first place prize, belonging to Elisha Roysdon with her Cleopatra ensemble, won a Visa gift card. The second prize winner won an iTunes gift card, and the third place prize won a Subway gift card. There were many notable costumes, such as a taco, a blueberry, a group of iPods, and the Queen of Hearts! The dance took place in the MJHS gymnasium in October.  Dance tickets were priced at 5 dollars and were sold in the lunch room and in the mornings in Mr. Ferguson’s classroom. Tickets included a free drink as well as snacks in the cafeteria.

The next Student Council dance will take place on Friday, February 14th and will be a Valentine’s Day theme. The gym and cafeteria will be decked out in hearts, as students will be encouraged to dress to the nines in their red, pink, and white. Keep a look out for more details about the upcoming dance!

Game On!

by Mitchell Elkin

Many new video games came out in November; among them is Call of Duty: Ghosts. This is the tenth installment in the Call of Duty series. The game is told in the perspective of Logan Walker, the son of a Ghost Captain. During the story, you are accompanied by your brother, Hesh, a fellow Ghost and three other Ghost soldiers (Keegan, Merrick, and a german shepherd named Riley whom you can assume control of). The premise of the story revolves around the opposition against the Federation, an organization led by Roark, a former Ghost.

The multiplayer mode has been given some differences from the other Call of Duty games. On some of the maps, the landscape can be altered. Also, players can now get briefcases that contain field orders. If competitors complete these, players can receive an award. Impressive changes have also been made to the graphics so that images (especially when looking through the scope) are less blurry. The game also includes female soldiers and the choice to customize the player.

The game introduces the new gametype, “squads”, in which you can play alone or with up to 5 other players. There are 3 game modes for this: squad v.s squad, wargame, and safeguard.  The game also introduces the gametype “extinction”. In this game mode, you fight off waves of aliens while trying to destroy their hives. This is supposed to be similar to the “zombie” mode in Call of Duty 4, Call of Duty Black Ops, and Call of Duty Black Ops 2.

Due to the hype surrounding the release of Xbox One and the Playstation 4, the sales of this game for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 are not as high as they would be. However, with the arrival of the new game consoles, sales are expected to rise and surpass the previous installments of Call of Duty. Game on!

Wacky Walkathon

By: Holly Yakimow

On Wednesday September 25, 2013, Milford Junior High held a Walkathon to raise money for the school. This Walkathon also happened to be held during Milford’s spirit week. The theme on that day was wacky or mismatched day. Students and teachers wore unusual clothing, like mismatched socks, to school. This Walkathon was a fundraiser to raise money for the school. One seventh grader named Ben O’Toole,  raised over four hundred dollars. To get students to raise money, the faculty said that if the seventh or eighth grade raised the most money, that grade would get to vote to see which staff member would have to do something as a reward for the students work. In the end, the seventh grade one and will now get to vote which staff member has to do something. An eighth grader named Elisabeth Miller claimed, “The Walkathon was good; it helps support our school!” The school should do more fundraisers so that kids can help make their community better.

Recommended Movies of 2014

 by Elijah cliffe

Below is a list of recommended movies for the New Year! 2014 promises a lot of great movies. Write back and tell us what you think! Send your responses to Mrs. Carey at carey_j@milfordschools.org. Your response just might get published!

1. The Lego Movie - An average minifigure must save the lego world from the most boring thing ever…. Buisness! (Batman is in this movie)!
2. Godzilla - This famous monster gets a reboot in this action-packed film!
3. The Amazing Spider Man 2 - Spider Man is back and must save the city from Electro and Rhino!
4. Robocop - A man who suffers from great injury is manufactured into a superior robot who must defend the city!
5. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - A growing population of apes led byCaesar is attacked by a rebellion of humans in this sequel!
6. The Hunger Games; Mocking Jay Part 1 - Felt frustrated with the cliffhanger at the end of Catching Fire? Don’t worry, Katniss Everdeen is back as she leads a rebellion against the dreaded Capitol!
7. The Hobbit; There and Back Again - “DRAGON!!!!!!!!!!!”

See if you can match the quote to it’s movie!

1. “ Your move.” A. Godzilla      

                                          

2. “ A house divided B. Spider Man 2                                           

against itself….                                                                                

would be better                                               

than this.”      

                                              

3. “ Frankly, none C. The Lego Movie                                              

of us has ever                                              

faced a situation

quite like this

one.”       

                                                         

4. “ The more people D. Robocop

I try to save, the

more enemies I

make.”